Rarely do I see more than two blooms on the Valentine dianthus. I’m looking forward to seeing more in spring.

The new dianthus plantings are calling the lily bed home. They will provide a vivid border early next year. Notice the oxalis triangulis and columbine sharing the bed? Both are same year plantings. The oxalis eked by this summer, just liked its purple siblings, giving rise to the occasional flower. The columbine is one of three surviving seedlings: 2 in the lily bed and one in the shade bed. I considered them delicate, but they persevered. Let’s hope the lily bed columbines are both red.

Here lies before you a broken wand. Early this week, we discovered that the hose had expanded, disallowing the detachment of the wand head. The trigger was destroyed by our forceful attempts to remove it. I finally managed to disconnect it peacefully this morning. Now the search begins for a new wand of destiny…